Work indexing apparatus



1943- J. L. PERKINS 2,326,103

- WORK INDEXING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 4, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

1943- J. L, PERKINS 2,326,103

WORK INDEXING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 4, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v H I INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 3, 1943 V UNITED STATE WORKINDEXING ArPAnA rUs Julia-n 1 Perkins, West SpringfieldfMass, as-

signor to Perkins Machine and Gear Company,

West Springfield, Mass,

Massachusetts a corporation of ApplicationDecember 4, 1941, Serial h 421st: V (o1. eogse) T This invention relates to improvements inapparatus for indexing and holding-work. v a

The principal objects of the invention are di rooted to the provision ofapparatus .for indexing and holding work for the operation of a cutting tool and is particularly adapted for holding a gear blank for the operation of a tool or tools for forming the teeth therein and indexing the same for subsequent operations.

vIt'is customary to formthe teeth of gears by means of a broach TECliJT-OCa-IJIG back and forth at the periphery thereof and in parallelism with the axis of the blank. The broach cuts the grooves to form the sidesof theteeth and after the forming of each groovethe blank is indexed.

t is diflicult with prior art appalatus particularly with small gears to hold the blank and index it accuratelysubseouent to the cutting operations with the result the teeth are non-uniformly spaced and are non-uniform in theirdimensions. There are likely to be teeth that are thicker or thinner at' thepitch line for in stance.

According to this invention, the apparatus is constructed and arranged to hold the blank firmly for the cutting operations and to indexer rotate the said blank after the cutting operations thereby to obtain uniform teeth, uniformly spaced.

In the drawings: l

Fig. l is an end elevationalview of an indexing apparatus embodying the novel features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevational View on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; 1

4- is a partial plan view of the apparatus .c iown in Figs. 1 and-2 with certain parts removed for clearness; and

5 is an enlarged partial .planview of one of the arbor holding members.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the

invention will be fully described.

. A support in the form. of a housing 2 has a bot tom wall =3, end walls 6, front and rear walls 8 and it, and an intermediate wall I 2. These walls provide an open upper side that is closed by plates i l and lis secured thereto in any convenient manner.

There are two arbors such as 29 rotatable on vertical axes. There may be as many of such arbors as may be desired, hence a description of one arbor will suffice for the description of all.

The arbors are provided with upper portions nut 24 in threaded engageinentwiththe upper end 25 thereof is provided for clamping the blank B to a'coilar'ZB thereof.

.Theintermediate poi ion of the arbor is pro vided with'dlternate grooves and teeth corresponding in number to the grooves and teeth to be out in the blank 53; i

-With refernce to Fig. e, the tool for cutting the'blank moves up and down parallel to the axis of arbor and groove '3 is provided for tool clearance up and down in wall In. With the blank clamped to the arbor the said blank is held in position for the toothforming operation and after each groove is out, the arbor is indexed preferably for the next adjacent groove. The means fior'holding :andindexing the arbor will now be described;

Similar holding members 48 are pivoted on studs 42 projecting upwardly from a boss 44 for swinging movements in verticalplanes and they have teeth 43 receivable in the grooves 3% of t e arbor when in holding position. a

The teeth and grooves of the arbor are accurately spaced and formedasare the teeth as of the holding member so that the arbor maybe I nrmlyheld against rotat'ive movements and'when The grooves 39 and teeth 43 are formed to permit the teeth to freely' enter and-withdraw 22 on which a gear blank B is receivable and a from the grooves as the members to are swung and also so that when the teeth enter the grooves the arbor is moved in one direction or the other intoaccurateindexing position.

vA .bar Bfl is reciproca'ble in opposite directions and a pawl 52 as shown in Fig. 4 is pivoted theretoat '64 for engagingwith the grooves of the arbor and rotating it one space as the bar is moved in one direction. There is a spring .56 secured to a projection fiflcf the-pawl and a pin 79 of the bar so as to urge the pawl into operative engagement with the arbor and a stop 12 of the bar limits swinging movement of the pawl.

A stud 74 in one end wall 6 of the housing has a. combined gear 16 and ratchet l8 rotatable thereon. A lever 80 swingable on the stud has a pawl 82 pivoted thereto at 84 which is urged into engagement with the ratchet by a spring 86 all as shown in Fig. 1. V

A shaft 82' is rotatable in the housing and it has a gear 84 fixed thereto and in mesh with gear 16. A pawl 86' pivoted to the housing at 88 is spring pressed by a spring 90 into engagement with ratchet l8.

It is intended that thelever 80 be operated on each stroke of the breach carrying mechanism a suflicient distance to rotate ratchet 78 one notch and rotate shaft 82' through one revolution and for that purpose a roll 8| is provided on the lever for engagement by the broach carryingmechanism. 'That is the mechanism carrying the broach-for acting on the gear blank or the broaching machine may be arranged to act on the lever 89 so as to bring about indexing the'blank or blanks to be acted upon by the broaching mechanism. a

A cam III) is provided on the other end of shaft 82' which has a groove I02, see Fig. 2. A bracket I05 fixed to the housing has a lever I06 pivoted thereto at I98. Said lever has a I roll I08 in operative engagement with the cam groove and its other end carries a stud I It! dis-.

posed in an aperture I I2 of. bar 60 there being an adjusting screw IM associated with the bar in ment with a groove provided in the bore of the cam.

I The cam I has a relatively wide circumferential part I24 and a narrow circumferential part' I26 as shown in Fig. 4. The members td have adjusting screws I in their outer ends provided with lock nuts I28. The inner ends of these screws are adapted tobear on the sides of the cam parts I24 and I25 successively as'cam I 20 isrotated by the shaft 82' during rotation of said shaft. i

A. tension spring I30 has its ends attached to studs I32 of the members 49 for swinging the free ends of members towards the cam.

The parts are so constructed and arranged that as shaft 82 is rotated from rest position, the narrow part I26'of the cam I20 rotates into position between the ends of members 40 so that the spring I30 swings said members towards. one another to withdraw th teeth IIB thereof from thegrooves of the arbor. The slide is moved longitudinally so that pawl 62 engages and ro tates the arbor one: space after which the wider part I24 of cam I20 is rotated between members 40 to swing the said members and teeth 48 thereof into the notches 30 of the arbor. The outer ends of members 4:! are held in spaced apart relation by the wide part I24 of the cam and thereby hold the teeth 48 in the grooves of the arbor until the next rotation of th shaft 82'. The outer ends of members are urged towards the cam by spring I 30 at all times and are moved outwardly by the wide part I24. As the cam rotates the levers are swung in and out so the teeth 43 engage or disengage the arbor.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms Without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purviewand range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An apparatus for holding a gear blank and indexing the same for successive groove and tooth forming operations comprising in combination, a support, a rotatable arbor for supporting a gear blank to be cut with teeth forming grooves having grooves and teeth corresponding in number to the number of grooves and teeth to be formed on said blank, pivotally mounted members having parts receivable in grooves at opposite sides of said arbor, a movable member engageable with said grooves of the arbor to rotate the same, means for actuating said pivotally mounted members, means for actuating said movable member and operative connections between said means.

2. An apparatus for holding a gear blank and indexing the same for" successive groove and tooth forming. operationscomprising in combination, a support, arotatable arbor for supporting a gear blank to be, cut with teeth forming grooves having grooves and teeth corresponding in number to the number of grooves and teeth to be formed on said blank, pivotally mounted 'members having parts at one end thereof receivable in groovesjat'opposite sides of the arbor for holding the same against rotation and having free ends, and means acting on the free ends of said members urging them into holding position.

3. An apparatus for holding a gear blank and indexing the. same for successive groove and tooth forming operations comprising in combination, a support, a rotatable arbor for supporting a gear blank to be cut with teeth forming grooves having grooves and teeth corresponding in number to the number of grooves and teeth to be formed on said blank, pivotally mounted members having part at one end thereof receivable in grooves at opposite sides of the arbor for holding the same against rotation and having free ends, and means acting on the free ends of said members urging them into holding position, and movable means receivable in the grooves of said arbor to rotate the same.

JULIAN L. PERKINS. 

